Method of treating ores.



A. G. & J. T. JONES.

METHOD 0F TREATQNG ORES. l APPLICATION FILEDJULY 21.1913.`

1917419727, v Patented Mar. 7,1916.

. 2 SHEETS-SHEETy 1.

A. G. & J. T. JONES.

METHOD 0F TREATING ORES.

APPLICATION FILED IuLY 21.1913.

1, 174,727. Patented Mar. 7,1916.

A 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. 77 o o o :D 7- y77 .I I" i 72 H T v 1'. *w @I f 4M `l I I I 4 .miran sauras/rara union ALBERT G. JONES AND JOHN T. JONES, 0F IRON MOUNTAIN, MICHIGAN, ASS-IGNORS TG NEW METALS-PROCESS COIVIANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, .A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

METHOD or TREATING oREs.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mair.. "i, 1916.

Application led July 21, 1913. Serial No. 780,229.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that we, ALBERT G. JONES and JOHN T. JONES, citizens of the United btates, residing at Iron Mountain. in the county of Dickinson and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Method of Treating Orcs, of which the following is a specification. y

This invention relates to an improved process of treating ores for the purpose of extricatingxtherefrom the metal values, and the method may be advantageously eniployed in the treatment of ores containing metal values either in the form. of` oXids, suliids orcarbonates.

In practising our invention the ore to be.

treated is first crushed to a size as uniform as possible and is then mixed with hydrocarbon or carbonaceous fuel, which may be either wood, charcoal, coal or coke. Before charging the mixture into the furnace it is i subjected to a preliminary heatingand drying operation by hot gases escaping from the-furnace. The amount of fuel mixed with' the ore is preferably greatly in excess of what is required and in the case of wood, we find it desirable to provide the same in blocks less than one foot in dimension and fully twenty times morein bulk than the ore. The dry and heated ore and fuel mixture is charged into the top` of a furnace, where it is ignited and subjected to an airblast. to raise the mixture to a temperature which causes the metal content of the ore to nodulize. In the treatment of oxid of. iron, or other oXd ore, care is taken to sol regulate the blast as to provide a hot atmosphere of a reducing nature, preferably in the form of a carbon monoxid and hydrogen gas, which in its action upon theore, changes the metal oxids into metal and causes it to flow together into nodules, without melting the silicious ingredients of the ore. When the nodulizing of the metal is sufliciently complete the furnace contents are discharged into a bath of water, which cools.

Figure 1 is a View in side elevation of our furnace and the means for pre-heating and drying the mixture; and Fig. 2 a vertical section of the furnace.

T he reference numeral 3 designates an upright furnace chamber mounted at its lower end upon suitable pillars 4. At the top of the furnace is a charging hopper 5, a rotary drum 6 and suitable charging bells 7 of well known construction. Entering the furnace near its upper end.J below the charging bells is an air supply pipe 8 extending from a fan-blower or air-blast engine 9. Surrounding the furnace near its lower end is a bustle-pipe 10 communicating with the interior of the furnace through -inch mesh. The ore and fuel in desired proportions are deposited in the hopper 5 and `flow into the upper end of the revolving tube o r drum 6. When the furnace is in operation hot gases from the vbustle-pipe 10 will pass upward through-thepipe 14 and through the drum or tube 6 to the stack 13. In, passing through the drum or tube 6 the mixture ,is dried 'and heated to a high temperature and is discharged into the topof the furnace. The feed of mixture to the furnace 1s regulated by the bells 7 which are operated by the levers 17 in the usualway. In the start the furnace is charged with the ore and fuel mixture and ignited at the top, where it is subjected to an air-blast fro-m the pipe 8, which produces a downward draftl to the' bustle-pipe 10. Here the hot products `of composition are withdrawn through the openings 11 and discharged through the pipe 12 into the stack 13 and through the pipe 14 into the tube or drum. 6 for the purpose stated. As

combustion of the fuel progresses downward, the ore is heated to a temperaturesuiiicxently high to cause its metallic-conv of the ore.

tents to run together land nodulize. In the treatment of metal oXidv ores the air oonveye-d through the twyer or pipe 8 is kept at a pressure suliciently low to prevent the ingress of an excess of oxygen, and thus result in the production of a. reducing atmosphere, which robs the ore of its oxygen, and thus changes the metal oXids to metal, which run together and nodulize in the ore. Care must be employed to prevent the .temperature in the furnace from rising to the meltingV point of the slag-making constituents The effect of this treatment upon oxid ores is to reduce and nodulize the metal contents without the production of slag. And in the case of carbonates substantially the/same Yeffect is produced. In

' the case of sulfid ores nodulizing of the metal contents of the ore takes place without any material chemical change in the ore.

In practice, as the fuel is consumed the charge in the furnace descends and is deected by the conical base 15 into the sur` rounding` water bath in the receptacle 16. The nodulized ore sinks to the bottom of the receptacle while the unconsumed fuel and ash tend to float. This fuel may be gathered up,'dried and fedagain to the furnace. The nodulized ore is then removed from Vthe receptacle 16 andsubjected to a grinding operation to triturate the gangue and permit the nodulized metal to be separated therefrom, by jigging or otherwise, and saved.

The foregoing description is intended to convey a clear understanding of our invencure by Letters Patent isl. lIn -a nodulizing furnace, the combination of an upright furnace-chamber, means at vthe upper end of said chamber for feeding ore and fuel thereto, an air blast pipe communicating with the upper end of said chamber, a gas outlet near the lower end of said chamber, a discharge opening toward the lower end of the chamber, and a water bath to receive the material from saiddischarge opening.

2. In a nodulizing furnace, the combination of an upright furnace chamber, means at the upper end of said chamber for feeding a charge of fuel and ore thereto, means above the furnace for pre-heating and drying the charge, an air-blast pipe communicating with the upper end of said chamber, a gas outlet nearthe lower end of the chamber, a pipe communicating with said gas outlet and extending to said pre-heating means, and a discharge opening toward the lower end of the chamber.

ALBERT G. JONES. y JOHN T. JONES. In presence of D.,C. THoRsEN, A. J. FLOYD. 

